WASHINGTON (AP) — Workers who don't trust the boss to keep track of their wages can now do it themselves with a new smartphone application from the Department of Labor. But employers worry that the time sheet app, along with other new initiatives, could encourage even more wage and hour lawsuits.

TOKYO (AP) — Honda workers are taking 14 additional days off during June through August because of manufacturing disruptions caused by parts shortages, but will make up for the car production shortfall later in the year.
Honda Motor Co. said Monday that plant workers will take one extra day off in June, 10 more in July and three in August, and work those days in the latter half of the fiscal year to make up for the shortfall
Under Honda's latest move, all production at the Saitama and Suzuka auto plants, and part of the production at the Hamamatsu motorcycle plant, will be shut down for the 14 days.

TOKYO (AP) — Sony Corp. is expecting an annual loss of $3.2 billion, reversing its earlier projection of a return to profit, as the electronics giant struggles with production disruptions from Japan's tsunami and a hacker attack on its online gaming service.
The Japanese maker of PlayStation 3 video game machines and Bravia flat-panel TVs said Monday that the projection of a 260 billion yen ($3.

BEIJING (AP) — An explosion at one of two factories that make Apple's new iPad 2 highlights the risks of a global manufacturing strategy that has cut costs but concentrates production in a few locations.
Foxconn Technology Group, the contractor that manufactures Apple's iPhones and iPads, said Friday's blast in the western city of Chengdu killed three employees and injured 15.

FERMONT, Quebec (AP) — Global steel giant ArcelorMittal will create 8,900 construction and mining jobs with a $2.16 billion expansion of its Quebec mining complex near Labrador.
The Luxembourg-based company said Friday that annual production of iron ore concentrate will increase to 24 million tons from 14 million tons by 2013.

CANTON, Miss. (AP) — Madison County supervisors want the city of Canton to stop its efforts to annex and tax the Nissan assembly plant.
Canton officials said a 2000 law that prevents them for annexing and levying property taxes against it for 30 years is unconstitutional. The city has asked a Madison County judge to throw out the law.

WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) — Machinery products manufacturer Terex Industrial Holding AG, the German subsidiary of Terex Corp., has made a previously announced unsolicited bid for all the outstanding shares of a Dusseldorf-based crane manufacturer, Demag Cranes AG.
Terex said Thursday that it is offering Demag shareholders a price of 41.

The company behind Fila shoes and clothing is taking a swing at golf, forming a foursome to purchase the maker of Titleist golf balls and FootJoy shoes from liquor company Fortune Brands Inc.
Korean investors led by athletic company Fila Korea Ltd. and Mirae Asset Private Equity plan to buy Fortune's golf giant Acushnet Co.

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese media reports say two people have died following an explosion at a factory in southwestern China belonging to electronics maker Foxconn Technology Group.
The cause of Friday evening's blast during a shift change at the plant in Chengdu wasn't immediately known.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC will construct the biggest floating man-made object ever, a natural gas processing plant longer than four football fields and more massive than any aircraft carrier.
The "Prelude FLNG" facility, to be anchored off the Australian coast, will be made of 260,000 tons of steel — five times more than Sydney's famed Harbour Bridge, Shell said Friday.

The pneumatically-powered Famatec Friendly ergonomic manipulator from Haeco (Loveland, OH) allows an operator to effortlessly suspend, rotate, tilt, and transfer a product weighing up to 880 pounds. When equipped with the end-of-arm tooling, it can be used to manipulate, transfer, or install various products, such as pallets, wheels, small engines, wood, glass plate, and more with a working radius of 20 feet.

Dectron Inc. (Roswell, GA) is introducing the DRY-O-TRON DK/RK Series make-up air dehumidifier system for various industrial applications. The DK (indoor) and RK (rooftop) offer reduced energy costs with features like gas-phase air purification, electronically-commutated (EC) motors, several energy recovery method options, and digital scroll compressor technology, according to the company.

The Emergency Shower Decontamination Booth from HEMCO Corp. (Independence, MO) complies with ANSI and OSHA requirements, and is made from one piece of seamless chemical-resistant fiberglass. The shower comes equipped with a pull rod-activated shower and push handle eye/face wash for quick rinsing of eyes, face, and body.

NewAge Industries (Southampton, PA) is now offering the Nylobrade braid-reinforced PVC hose, which is now certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) for Standards 51 and 61. According to the company, Nylobrade is an appropriate choice for applications involving water at temperatures up to 140°F and food process applications.

How many people are really and truly unemployed in the United States today? There is no accurate answer to that question. Though the economy has shown fairly strong signs of life, unemployment is still a problem. Furthermore, the U.S. must retrain long-term unemployed Americans or risk a creating a "lost generation" of workers.

The U.S. economic outlook continues to show modest improvement, but while the manufacturing recovery is on track, caution flags remain for the overall economy.
The Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Economic Forecast predicts that inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) will expand by 2.

I suffer from Not-Enough-Hours-In-The-Day Syndrome. I barely have enough time during the day for daily maintenance, let alone preventative maintenance.
Since I have a company computer, I assumed that all of my antivirus software was current and that I was protected from threats. I didn’t think I needed to download any anti-spyware or anti-malware programs.

DETROIT (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell isn't above seeking a little advice as the lockout approaches its 10th week with no end in sight.
Goodell said Thursday he leans on the Ford family, which owns the Detroit Lions, to draw on their labor relations experience in the automobile industry.

GARNER, N.C. (AP) — Production of Slim Jim snacks is ending at a plant in Garner were an explosion killed four people in 2009.
The closing of the ConAgra plant Friday puts 200 employees out of work. ConAgra announced in February it intended to close the plant.
Investigators have said contractors were purging gas lines at the time of the blast, causing the building's roof to collapse.